Chapter 6
"OMG Mom!" Lucy said over the phone as Jayda walked into her living from outside. She'd been talking to the sheriff over last night's encounter with the other neighbours and the police department have assured the residents that there will be two patrol vehicle stationed in the area for the time being.
"It's been taken care of so I don't think they'll be coming back," Jayda said as she made for the couch.
"But still, you need to move out of that house" Lucy suggested.
"You know I can't"
"Why? Because it's grandma's house?"
"That and the fact that your schooling needs all the finance I can get"
"Well mom you don't need to overthink your pretty head about that because Keira and I got a part-time job to model for some app and the pay is a mouthful"
"No no mo" Jayda immediately opposed the idea. "I don't want you doing part-time jobs when you're supposed to be studying"
"It doesn't conflict my studies at all Mum." Lucy faked a crying tone.
"My answer is no. Besides, New York is still new to you. That place is so different from here and people aren't the same so I suggest you focus on what I sent you to do which is to study and not parade yourself in clothes that are not conservative all in the name of modelling"
"I have to go, mum," Lucy said with the intent of halting the topic.
"We are not done talking about this young lady and you take care," She said before Lucy hung up first.
On another note, Lucy is just like her. Stubborn, and strong-willed like she was when she was much younger than her. Jayda went down memory lane and remembered when her granny used to warn her about Donnie and how she refused to listen because Donnie had already swept her off her feet. She was so reluctant to the idea of staying away from him because she was already madly in love with the charming boy from then. It was when she got pregnant with Lucy that the reality of what she had done dawned on her but she was ready to take up the responsibility and the day grandma threw her out was the day she became an adult.
Since she dropped out of school, she'd not been able to go back unlike Donnie. While they were living together, he enrolled himself in university and broke up with Jayda after he was offered a mouth-watering offer in Beverly Hills. She never heard from him again since then. How a man can forget his daughter for years still surprise Jayda.
************
A FEW DAYS LATER
Jayda walked down the stairs to see who'd been knocking on her door and She was not surprised when she found the person to be none other than the sheriff.
She's been used to having him come over every evening to check on her and the other residents as a follow-up from the last attack.
"Hi" She smiled at the Forty-something-year-old man.
"Hello Ms Jayda, how are you this evening?" He asked
"I am fine and no, I didn't witness strange activity today" Jayda giggled after replying what she knew would come next. It's become a daily routine and she's used to it.
"Point taken," He said, silencing his chuckle too.
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel that way" Jayda apologized.
"Don't worry about that. I do understand what that meant"
"Regardless, it came out the wrong way"
"Trust me you're not the only person who's said it to me but at the end of the day, doing these rounds is part of my job to ensure the safety of the residents. Any strange observation would go a long way"
"Do you want to come in for a drink or dinner?" Jayda said with a shy laugh at her way of making amends.
"It's really not a problem. Besides I'm still on duty" He looked down at his uniform trouser.
Jayda didn't know why she felt a sudden hit of disappointment.
"But I can take you up on that offer tomorrow evening. What do you say?" The gentleman offered
"Yes, sure we can swing that Officer..." Jayda attempted to read the nametag on his uniform. "Shawn"
Jayda closed the door and rested on it while trying to remember the last time she felt so uneasy with a man. She cringed when she remembered that time to be with Donnie. Although a little bit of it happened with Brian but she was filled with anger than uneasiness at the teenager.
Jayda had noticed Shawn during his third visit and had been told the forty-year-old gentleman is harmless, easy-going, dedicated to his job and most of all, single.
At this point in her life, she didn't want to feel lonely anymore and is fully ready to consider the officer. She knows it's time to fill the spot her child can't fill. That spot belongs to a man that would caress, care, love and make love to her.
She'd missed being made love to the most. She'd forgotten how it felt to have the length of a man in her, forgotten how her body felt when hugged by a man, how her lips melt in the moment of lip-locking, how her brain snapped when she's about to orgasm, how engorged her nipples rose when the tongue of a man travelled down the nape of her neck and most of all how secured, wanted, and loved she felt with a man.
Donnie was the first and last man to make love to her. She couldn't remarry and have her little child share her love with a newfound man. She'd heard unhealthy stories about stepdads and their stepdaughters who don't get along and Jayda wouldn't bring herself to intentionally hurt her daughter whom she cares for the most in the world.
But now that Lucy's grown, Jayda knows it's time for her to go back to that chapter of her life. She'd considered one night stands but, she's also not the kind of person to jump on a stranger and then have sex with him. She's a traditional person who believes sex and love align.
Chapter 7Jayda giggled like a toddler at ice cream when she and Shawn made their exit out of the cinema. They just finished watching the latest horror film titled 'forgotten and instead of coming out with a rather intense expression, the duo laughed their way to the parking lot."So where are we going next?" Jayda asked as Shawn put the car in motion unto the express."I was thinking of dinner" he said."I'm quite full from the popcorn and Soda""How about a walk in Glover?" He suggested.Jayda had heard of the new park in town but has not had the opportunity to visit the place even though she'd heard a lot of awesome reviews from the people in Ely."That'd be great," She said.They arrived in the park in half an hour and since there wasn't much to do because most of the vendors have closed for the day, Sha
Chapter 8"Where's the new commercial clip?" Brian said while flipping through the pages of the folder in his hand."We are yet to shortlist the candidates.." The fidgeting thirty-something years old creative director managed to say even amid stammer.People working under Brian always find talking to him intimidating and somewhat scary. It's hard to share the same space with his arrogant and rude attitude."You're fired," He said without flinching."Sir?" She questioned in disbelief."Are you deaf? I said you're fired! I can't have incompetent people working in my company" he didn't look at the poor lady, not even as little as a wink.Just as soon as she walked out of his office, Khloé walks in majestically while strutting her curves in the perfect motion."Hey baby" she greeted before taking her seat.
Chapter 9A few weeks later.Lucy walked into ChaseApp headquarters alongside Keisha for their callback interview with the brand. The duo had applied a week ago to model in a commercial much to the fact that one appearance costs so much more than the regular coffee shop attendant job they'd been doing secretly to help lift the burden a bit off their parents.Both girls gawked at the enormous elegance of wealth and class that littered the ground floor. There was so much professionalism in how the ladies who worked there walked and talked. They weren't dressed corporately. Some even wore shorts that went as far as the curve of their butts but their carriage is classy as hell."Wow. Pinch me Keisha" Lucy said trying to get out of what she thinks could be a dream.They'd researched the company ahead of their interview but the pictures didn't do the building justice. I
Chapter 10Both girls screamed out of the ChaseApp building after being among the five models picked for the commercial that was later said would continue during the final casting."Do you think if the President was seated, we would have been given the spot? I mean, considering what happened in the morning""We didn't do anything wrong! What makes you think we did? We were just talking. He seriously can't be that bad""Have you heard of this man!"They both walked down the walkway to catch the bus heading their way.********"There's something I need to tell you," Shawn said, as he arrived with Jayda under her porch."Some time ago before I met you, I had plans of transferring to NYPD for the sake of my daughter so that I can be close to her instead of having her travel down here once a while" He paused a bit before con
Chapter 11BeforeJayda 22Brian 12"Jayda!" Brian hurried outside to where Donnie and Jayda are seated, smoking."Putt off the cigarette" She whispered. She stomped on both stick with her feet before Brian's arrival.Donnie rolls his eyes in disbelief at her."It's Lucy. We were playing and then she tripped and bruised her leg. I already applied first aid but she keeps crying and won't let me put a band-aid on it."The trio hurried to the backyard to find little Lucy on the grass, crying."Hey, sweetie" Jayda bent down to inspect the scratch. "Pass me the bandaid" she collects the strip from Brian's hand and places it on Lucy's wound carefully."Check the lower kitchen cabinet by the fridge, bring the pack of candy in it," Jayda told Brian and he returned a few seconds later with the
Chapter 12Throughout the flight to New York, Jayda felt very scared and the nervous feeling from the pit of her stomach made her more scared.She'd received a call from Keisha that Lucy got into an accident and is in the hospital. She couldn't even wait to hear everything Keisha had to say and just tool off to the airport.She would die if anything happened to her daughter. The flight took longer than usual and it made Jayda regret staying far away from Lucy. She ought to be by her side and not two hours away from her. She didn't want to be a hovering type of mother, it's all she's been doing since Lucy's birth and that's why she let her do her thing by supporting her when she said she's going to study further in New York.As she makes her way out of the airport, Jayda switches off the Flight mode on her phone and begins to dial Keisha's number. She picks almost immediately.
Chapter 13A WEEK LATERJayda settles on the blanket she spread on the floor of her one room apartment. She has been trying to get a job since she moved in five days ago knowing fully well that she only has enough to live for just a couple of months in the city coupled with Lucy's needs. Lucy had suggested they sell off Grandma's house but Jayda wouldn't hear it. She only went back to Minnesota to pack a few essentials like her laptop, couple of blankets and pillow, the rest she will buy in bits and then sell off after four years.She'd been on almost all job seeking platforms looking for any opening whatsoever but the ones she had seen so far require at least a bachelor's degree which she doesn't have. The only thing she learnt and did for a living back in Ely is baking. The skill earned her a job spot in one of the popular confectionaries in the town where she was able to care for herself and Lucy for a long while.
Chapter 14It's Saturday and like every other weekend, Lucy visits Jayda. She even brought back their weekend breakfast ritual- cooking pancakes.It's been almost a month since Jayda's official move to New York and so far so good. She'd managed to acquire Mrs Mary old coffee shop and set to officially open for business in the coming month. She would have opened but the renovation seems to be taking longer than expected. She even opened a business account on Instagram for the shop which she changed to Euphoria coffee and Confectionaries as well as uploaded some of her past works in Minnesota. She's pretty much determined to make the business a hit- she doesn't really have a choice. She has to make sure there's a lot of sales in the next couple of months to fully buy the shop off and pay back the loan from the bank so as not to lose the house."You really need to get at least some pieces of furniture, for now, mum" L